Chapter 3 The Realm of Ghosts and Gods

The Ghostly Realm is a term used by cultivators to refer to incomprehensible and mysterious areas. Such places often come with peculiar rules; for example, outside the provincial capital of Xinxiang, there is a place called Huixing Town, which is a well-known Ghostly Realm. Those who enter Huixing Town will continuously repeat the events of a single day, endlessly reincarnating, never able to escape until death. There is also a Ghostly Realm in Nanmen County that transforms those who enter into paper dolls, rendering even the mightiest divine powers useless. However, these places are already famous throughout the world, well known as dangerous lands. And Huangpo Village is merely a village under the jurisdiction of XX City in Xinxiang Province; how could such a dangerous place remain unknown? "Xinxiang's bad seed, shameless little rascal!" As the woman in purple thought of this, the Jinyiwei following her fell into chaos. Some began to invoke spells, attempting to restore their bodies, while others ran back, believing that escaping this Ghostly Realm would allow them to return to normal. Others, in their panic, fell and shattered themselves. The woman in purple shouted, "Do not run around! Follow my commands!" Gradually, the crowd steadied their emotions and regrouped, their gazes fixated on her. The woman in purple calmed her mind and said, "Since this place has a Ghostly Realm, it means we have arrived at the right location. This is indeed the rumored Tomb of the True King..." At this moment, a voice came from ahead: "Big sister, why haven't you caught up? The lair of those porcelain dolls is right here!" The woman in purple's eyes sparkled as she turned to look, seeing a small head peeking out from behind a large dirt mound; it was Chen Shi, his face innocent, eyes clear yet foolish, clearly not the cunning person she had imagined. "He is just a child; I might have thought too much," the woman in purple felt a pang of guilt in her heart, realizing she had imagined Chen Shi to be a calculating individual, forgetting he was still merely a child of around ten years old. The woman in purple examined Chen Shi, her heart stirring; like them, he too had transformed into a porcelain doll! "This lad is evidently not here for the first time, so he must know how to turn from a porcelain doll back into a human!" Her eyes lit up, and she immediately ordered, "Follow him and seize him!" The crowd charged forward, and the forest ahead gradually thinned out, the trees becoming less dense, while tall dirt mounds emerged one after another. The dirt mounds were hollow, bearing traces of scorching, resembling kiln caves. Additionally, there were gigantic ceramic jars, some shattered, some intact, towering four or five times higher than them, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure. As the crowd chased after Chen Shi, weaving between the jars and kiln caves, the woman in purple walked at the back, astonished as she surveyed her surroundings, suddenly realizing, "No, this is not the Tomb of the True King! This is... a kiln for making porcelain!" Various thoughts surged in her mind; how could a rural kiln become a Ghostly Realm? Where did the porcelain come from? What was Chen Shi leading them to the kiln for? Just as she pondered this, a voice from ahead rang out: "Lost the chase... there are people over there! It's that group of porcelain dolls!" The woman in purple quickly hurried forward, only to see the porcelain dolls that had been playing by the creek hiding in the shadows of a still-broken kiln, looking at them in fear. One of the porcelain dolls waved at them repeatedly. One of the Jinyiwei laughed, "These little ones are afraid of us..." The woman in purple realized, her expression changing instantly, and she quickly said, "They are not afraid of us but of something else! Retreat quickly—" Suddenly, the ground trembled with a loud roar, and the world darkened; a fierce wind howled as three giants clad in grayish-blue clothing stepped forward, heading toward them. The giants were tall and slender, standing over a couple of meters high, and with the woman in purple and the others transformed into porcelain dolls of less than a foot, the giants appeared even more towering. The giants had long limbs, and their faces resembled clay sculptures, devoid of any expression, much like the kiln workers molding porcelain in the factory. With every move, they stirred ominous winds, and upon spotting the crowd, they reached out to grab them. The crowd fled in panic, but suddenly one person was caught by one of the kiln workers, and with a crack, their neck was twisted, the porcelain head crushed to pieces, turning to dust that slipped through the giant's fingers. Upon witnessing this, the others ran even faster, yet the kiln workers, with a single step, covered dozens of their strides and easily caught up to another person, seizing them in hand. The woman in purple was horrified. Although she was a cultivator and had already refined her divine fetus, trapped within the Ghostly Realm, her powers were greatly diminished, unable to threaten these kiln workers! A gentle kick from a kiln worker could likely crush her! She ran desperately, weaving through the kiln factory to evade the pursuing kiln workers, but fewer and fewer people were around her, and soon she was alone. The others had all been captured by the three kiln workers. Suddenly, the woman in purple recalled the porcelain dolls hiding in the kiln caves. Inspiration struck, and she hurriedly concealed herself in a dilapidated kiln cave. To her surprise, several porcelain dolls were also hiding within, and upon seeing her enter, they waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that she should remain silent. The three kiln workers bent down, scanning the area, and one of the kiln workers peered in, their enormous face blocking the entrance of the kiln cave. The woman in purple held her breath, not daring to make a sound. The kiln worker's movements were rigid, their eyes vacant, with pupils resembling porcelain, making a rustling sound as they moved. After briefly glancing into the kiln cave, they stood up and strode away. The other kiln workers ceased their search. After a moment, the few porcelain dolls cautiously poked their heads out, scanning around and exhaling in relief, beckoning her to follow. The woman in purple approached, bending down to stealthily follow the group of porcelain dolls. Not far away, a massive kiln cave was ablaze with roaring flames, the carbon fire intense, as the three kiln workers tossed the porcelain dolls they had captured into the raging fire. The porcelain dolls struggled and screamed in the flames, melting and deforming. The woman in purple felt a pang of heartache; those porcelain dolls were the Jinyiwei of the Zhao family in Xinxiang, and now they had perished in such a desolate place! She followed the few porcelain dolls, quietly leaving the kiln factory. "Miss, were you also deceived to this place by that little beast from Huangpo Village?" one of the porcelain dolls inquired. The woman in purple replied, "I don't understand your words... eh?" To her surprise, after transforming into a porcelain doll, she could suddenly understand the birdsong-like language of these porcelain dolls without any teaching! The woman in purple did not hide anything and recounted the events. "He said his name is Chen Shi, but he's full of bad intentions! You all..." One of the porcelain dolls sighed, "We also came here seeking treasure, deceived by him to this place, and ended up in this predicament." "And us," several more porcelain dolls approached. "And us." Outside the kiln factory, one group after another of porcelain dolls arrived, each with a grim expression. "We heard the Tomb of the True King was nearby, so we came to search for it, hoping for some fortune. To our surprise, the human heart is not ancient; who would have thought that in this seemingly honest countryside, there would be such a little demon!" One seemingly elderly porcelain doll, filled with indignation, paused with his cane and said angrily, "That little demon deceived us here and turned us into porcelain! In these two years, more and more people have fallen victim to his wicked hands!" Someone cried out in fury, "We won't be his playthings!" The crowd echoed, "Yes! We won't be his playthings!" The woman in purple joined in, but in her heart, she thought: "These people are also here seeking the Tomb of the True King; clearly, like me, they have resorted to murderous means that were detected by that little Chen Shi, leading him to deceive them here. This brat..." She recalled Chen Shi and couldn't help but feel an itch of hatred in her teeth: "That little rascal is truly only around ten years old? Also, how did he transform from porcelain into a human?" "Miss, you are..." A porcelain doll resembling a middle-aged man stepped forward, examining the woman in purple, suddenly exclaiming, "You are Zhao Er, the second young lady of the Zhao family in Xinxiang?" The woman in purple was taken aback, nodding, "You are...?" The porcelain doll replied, "I am Li Xian from Quanzhou, Miss Zhao Er, we met a year ago!" The woman in purple felt a jolt of surprise; Li Xian from Quanzhou came from a prestigious family and was well-known. It was said that there were bandits entrenched in Longyuan, who no one could conquer, yet Li Xian had single-handedly infiltrated Longyuan seven times, with none able to stop him! When he came to Xinxiang, her father had even asked her to greet Uncle Li; she never imagined he would fall into such a poor and remote place! "I am He Qinghe from Danjiang, I have met Miss Zhao Er," the woman in purple was once again startled; this He Qinghe from Danjiang was also a well-known figure, having refined a Golden Core, a master among the younger generation! He had also fallen into this place! A porcelain doll resembling a woman said, "I am Lin Feishuang, I have met Miss Zhao Er, and everyone else." "I am Long Gang from Xinxiang, I have met Miss Zhao Er, and everyone else!" "I am Yu Du from Huqing Pool, I have met Miss Zhao Er." ... These porcelain dolls announced their names one after another, surprisingly all being notable figures, including an elder who had even refined into the Nascent Soul! The woman in purple felt both astonished and horrified; these strong individuals, some of whom even the Zhao family in Xinxiang would treat with respect, had all fallen for that little brat's trick and transformed into porcelain dolls, at the mercy of others! "However, my position in the Zhao family is not low; I have been away for a few days, and my father will surely send someone to search for me. As long as they find Huangpo Village, they can trace our whereabouts and rescue me!" she thought silently. Inside the kiln factory, flames soared. Chen Shi quietly retreated to a dark corner by the wall, avoiding the three kiln workers who looked like wooden sculptures. In the corner were several large jar-like containers; upon seeing him squeeze in, they quickly retracted their limbs, making themselves even tighter to prevent this porcelain doll from getting in. However, the gaps between them were still quite large, and Chen Shi managed to squeeze in. The three long-limbed kiln workers walked past, and one of the kiln workers glanced at the jars in the corner. One of the jars, startled, suddenly grew a leg. The other two kiln workers immediately turned to look; sensing danger, the jar quickly grew two arms and another leg and fled, the lid clattering noisily. The three kiln workers immediately gave chase. After a moment, two of the kiln workers returned, bending down to inspect, their expressionless faces close to the jars in the corner, seemingly checking if any jars had come to life. Hiding in the corner of the jar, Chen Shi peeked out. The kiln workers' eyes were a dull gray, like failed porcelain. After examining the jars and finding no movement, they left. After a while, another kiln worker returned, dragging the fleeing jar back and tossing it into the kiln for melting. In the shadow of the corner, Chen Shi and the few surviving jars stealthily left. The few surviving jars seemed to have a grudge against Chen Shi, and once they escaped the three kiln workers' sight, they turned to seek retribution from him. However, they found nothing but empty air, as Chen Shi had already slipped away without a trace. ———— Tomorrow's update time is around 11 a.m. Everyone is welcome to bookmark, read, and vote!